Canidates for 2013 Gold Stock of the Year

Is your precious-metals portfolio ready for 2013? We want to get positioned
in the best performers ahead of the industry's next big move to maximize profit
while minimizing risk.

Some readers may question if gold stocks really have snapped out of their
funk. We could discuss this topic for many pages, but the bottom line for us
at Casey Research is simple: if you believe gold and silver prices are going
higher, then equity prices will follow.

Precious metals are headed higher for reasons we've outlined before: intractable
levels of government debt, reckless deficit spending, and worldwide money printing.
GDP growth won't be near strong enough to meet future liabilities, and neither
politicians nor the public will agree to austerity measures that will be austere
enough. Gold and silver will move higher as the value of currencies declines
as governments attempt to pay existing and future obligations.

With that in mind, some stocks will certainly do better than others. Recall
2011, when gold continued higher while stocks as a group performed poorly.
However, there were still profits to be made.

You can see that while the equity ETFs performed poorly last year, select
producers still returned big gains. This is why it pays to be picky.

We won't always be right about which companies will be a given year's trophy,
yet there are definitely steps we can take to improve our odds. As 2013 swings
into gear and you review your precious-metals portfolio, keep the following
in mind.

Keep share performance in context. Don't sell a stock whose share
price has "underperformed" during a period of bearish market sentiment,
unless there are also serious operational difficulties that deserve the
discount. While some of our picks did poorly last year, I'm convinced we
have the best of the best in our portfolio. We'll advise, of course, if
we think a company should be sold, but many of our weaker performers simply
haven't had their day in the sun yet.

Don't chase last year's results. Last year's winner is unlikely
to also be this year's champ.

Keep buying physical gold and silver. The metals have advanced
every year since 2001 (save silver in '08 and '11), and we fully expect
this trend to continue. That means the bullion you buy today should be
selling for a higher price by year-end 2013 and entails less risk.

Gold and silver should be viewed as money. We believe serious inflation
lies ahead from ongoing currency dilution, making it highly likely we'll
someday use precious metals to maintain
our standard of living.

Buy now before prices break out of their trading ranges.

Focus on only the strongest companies. Experienced and proven management,
robust production growth, low costs, a strong balance sheet, and operations
in low-risk political jurisdictions define a solid company. Owning companies
that meet these criteria gives us the best shot at owning a 2013 winner,
while mitigating risk.

Diversify your picks. Don't put all your money in one or two stocks.
If you already own several strong gold miners, determine if you need to
adjust your portfolio so that the risk - and potential reward - is spread
around.

Today it's more important than ever to own the right gold stocks;
but between market volatility and increasing political uncertainty in several
major gold-mining nations, how can an investor separate the best gold stocks
from the rest? You can
get started for free right here.

Having worked on his family's gold claims in California and Arizona, as well
as a mine in a place to remain nameless, Jeff's research and writing skills
are utilized in his role as editor and one of the primary writers of Casey's
Gold & Resource Report.

Whether it is researching new companies to recommend, analyzing the big trend
in gold, or looking for other safe and profitable ways to capitalize on the
bull market, Jeff is devoted to making Casey's Gold & Resource Report the
best precious metals newsletter for the prudent investor. He coordinates the
efforts among the research and writing team, ensuring that whatever is happening
in the gold and silver market doesn't escape coverage.

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